Cold storage facilities, such as refrigerated warehouses, are used to store temperature-controlled items and maintain the items at a reduced temperature to prevent them from decaying. Examples of temperature-controlled items include perishables food (e.g., vegetables, fruits, meat, seafood, dairy products, etc.), flowers and plants, biopharmaceutical products, perishable nutrient products, and artwork. Cold storage facilities range across a wide array of sizes, from small walk-in coolers to large freezer warehouses. Several types of cold storages are available, such as refrigerated containers, blast freezers and chillers, cold rooms, pharmaceutical grade cold storage, plant-attached cold storage, and other cold storage facilities customized based on the nature of customers' products and their preferences.
The temperature within a cold storage facility is a result of a balance between heat removal from and heat intrusion into the facility. Heat intrusion within a cold storage can come from many different sources, and the rate of heat intrusion can vary due to various factors, such as time of day (e.g., day and night) and activities (e.g., opening a door of a cold storage). Heat removal from a cold storage facility can be performed by driving a refrigeration system connected to the facility. Thus, as heat intrusion changes, so does the need for power (e.g., electricity) to drive the refrigeration system for heat removal.